MSM - Atkinson and Shiffron

• Atkinson and Shiffrin (1968)

  Developed the Multi-Store Model of memory (MSM)
• Multi-Store Model of memory (MSM)

  • Describes flow between three permanent storage systems of memory: the sensory register (SR), short-term memory (STM) and long-term memory (LTM)
• Sensory register (SR)

  Where information from the senses is stored, but only for a duration of approximately half a second before it is forgotten
• Sensory register (SR)

  • Modality-specific, i.e. whichever sense is registered will match the way it is consequently held (for instance, a taste held as a taste)
• Information moving from sensory register (SR) to short-term memory (STM)

  1. Attended to

  2. Temporarily stored
• Short-term memory (STM)

  Encoded visually (as an image), acoustically (as a sound) or, less often, semantically (through its meaning)
• Short-term memory (STM)

  • Capacity of 7+-2 items and duration of approximately 18-30 seconds
  • Capacity can be increased through 'chunking' (converting a string of items into a number of larger 'chunks')
• Retaining information in short-term memory (STM)

  1. Rehearsing via the rehearsal loop

  2. Consolidating to long-term memory (LTM)
• Strengths of the MSM

  • There is a large base of research that supports the idea of distinct STM and LTM systems (e.g. brain-damaged case study patient KF's STM was impaired following a motorcycle accident, but his LTM remained intact)
  • It makes sense that memories in the LTM are encoded semantically – i.e. you might recall the general message put across in a political speech, rather than all of the words as they were heard
  • The MSM was a pioneering model of memory that inspired further research and consequently other influential models, such as the Working Memory Model
• Weaknesses of the MSM

  • Some research into STM duration has low ecological validity, as the stimuli participants were asked to remember bear little resemblance to items learned in real life, e.g. Peterson and Peterson (1959) used nonsense trigrams such as 'XQF' to investigate STM duration
  • The model is arguably over-simplified, as evidence suggests that there are multiple short and long-term memory stores, e.g. 'LTM' can be split into Episodic, Procedural and Semantic memory
  • It does not make much sense to think of procedural memory (a type of LTM) as being encoded semantically, i.e. knowing how to ride a bike through its meaning
  • It is only assumed that LTM has an unlimited capacity, as research has been unable to measure this accurately
• Sensory memory refers to information received by our senses but not yet processed or interpreted.